Wire or rod handling method and apparatus



13, 1969 J. c. BITTMAN ETAL 3,443,605

WIRE OR ROD HANDLING METHOD AND APPARATUS Filed June 28, 1967 INVENTORS m JESS C. B/TTMA/v JOHN H. MIL E5 B BY ORNEYS United States Patent O 3,443,605 WIRE OR ROD HANDLING METHOD AND APPARATUS J ess C. Bittman, Cuyahoga Falls, and John H. Miles, Ravenna, Ohio, assignors to The Vaughn Machinery Company, 'Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed June 28, I967, Ser. No. 649,643 Int. Cl. B21f 3/00 US. Cl. 140-2 14 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A method and apparatus for depositing successive loops of rod-like material onto a conveyor with the foremost loops overlying the succeeding loops to permit continuous withdrawal of the loop material at the discharge end of the conveyor in a general upward direction. The loops are deposited in such relation by positively advancing the lower portions of the loops relative to the upper portions thereof while lifting the lower loop portions to cause the following loops to swing into approximately horizontal position in underlying relation with the preced'mg loops in the series.

Background of the invention The present invention, relating as indicated to handling of rod-like material, is more particularly concerned with the handling of such material in connection with various treatments thereof, such for example as the so-called patenting of hot rod as it comes from the rod mill, or subsequent treatments thereof either before, or following reduction to wire form, to anneal, clean, or coat the same. The term rod-like material as used herein includes metallic rod of diameters such as are ordinarily produced by rod mills of standard construction, as well as products of a diameter ordinarily known as wire. However, it will be understood that the present improved apparatus and method are not limited to use in any particular treatment procedure but are generally applicable to the handling of rod-like materials where a continuous length thereof is formed into a series of consecutive loops at any stage in the handling of such materials.

A number of attempts have heretofore been made to solve the problem of handling rod-like material in loop form. Thus, the two Edwards Patents Nos. 1,232,014 (1917) and 1,295,139 (1919), both assigned to Morgan Construction Company, of Worcester, Mass, disclose an apparatus and method for handling rod-like material in the form of overlapping loops in which the preceding loops underlie the succeeding loops in the series. However, as admitted in a paper published by the chief consulting engineer of said assignee (see Wire and Wire Products, issue of October, 1964, page 1923), referring to the first of these patents, There is no record that this equipment and process were ever operated even experimentally. It may be surmised that one reason for this was the lack of satisfactory means for handling the material as it is discharged from the apparatus.

An attempt to solve this problem will be found disclosed in Patent Re. No. 26,052 (1966) to E. Jefferson Crum. However, just as in the Edwards system, the foremost loop at the discharge end of the conveyor underlies the following loop of the series and therefore can only be withdrawn in a general downward direction and accordingly for practical reasons the material is assembled in the form of bundles which are removed at intervals and rehandled if any further processing is required. As an alternative to the system proposed by Edwards, Patent No. 3,056,433 (1962) to Haugwitz discloses a somewhat similar system except that the foremost loop of the series 'ice overlies instead of underlies the following loop, thus permitting the material to be removed in an upward direction while incidentally straightening out the loops.

In both of the foregoing systems and particularly in the latter, two serious problems encountered are the difliculty of controlling the spacing or pitch of the overlapping loops as they are deposited on the conveyor and preventing snarling. In the Haugwitz system, the loops are initially positively clamped between the main conveyor and an auxiliary conveyor which initially spaces the loops, but the loops are released long before they are in their final desired overlying relation on the main conveyor, thus providing considerable opportunity for the loops to slide relative to each other. Moreover, as the preceding loops are caused to swing backward into overlying relation with the following loops, they are immediately brought into direct contact with each other and by the time they are deposited on the conveyor, the weight of the preceding loops may cause the following ones to collapse and become snarled. The problem of snarling also rises in the Haugwitz system at the discharge point of the conveyor, although, as indicated, such system has the advantage over the other system of permitting the material to be withdrawn continuously instead of being collected in bundle form.

Summary of the invention With the foregoing in mind, it is a principal object of this invention to provide a method and apparatus for handling rod-like material by which the foremost loops are caused to overlie the succeeding loops in the series while maintaining the desired spacing therebetween as necessitated by a particular treatment procedure or the like and to permit the loops to be continually withdrawn vertically upwardly from a discharge point on the conveyor.

A further object is to provide such a method and apparatus by which tangling or snarling of the loops is avoided as they are deposited in successive underlying relation onto the conveyor.

A still further object is to provide such a method and apparatus by which tangling or snarling of the loops is avoided as they are withdrawn from the discharge point on the conveyor.

These and other objects are achieved by positively successively advancing the lower portions of the loops relative to the upper loop portions to cause the preceding loops to swing into overlying relation with the following loops. The loops are lifted during such forward movement of the lower loop portions to facilitate rearward swinging of the loops and the upper portions of the loops are supported in spaced apart relation until just prior to their being deposited onto the conveyor to prevent snarling. A guide cone at the discharge end of the conveyor prevents snarling during lifting of the material from the conveyor.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention, then, comprises the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description and the annexed drawing setting forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the invention, these being indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principle of the invention may be employed.

Brief description of the drawing In said annexed drawing:

The single figure is a schematic diagram of a preferred form of wire or rod handling apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Description of the preferred embodiment Referring now in detail to the drawing, the apparatus 1 illustrated therein by way of example comprises a loop forming device 2, a loop positioning conveyor 3 onto which the formed loops are deposited in a desired relation to be described, a main conveyor 4 for advancing the deposited loops through a material treating or like apparatus 5, and a material takeup device 6 for removing the loops from the discharge end of the main conveyor 4. The loop forming device 2 may be of any conventional type by which incoming rod or wire W is wound into successive vertical loops L, but preferably comprises a horizontal takeup block 7 supported by a base structure 8 and having a flying sheave assembly 9 for winding the wire W around the stationary takeup block 7. As each successive loop L is wrapped around the beveled shoulder or apron 10, the preceding loops are axially advanced in free-hanging relation toward the outer end of the block in a manner well known in the art. For a more detailed discussion of the construction and operation of such a loop forming device, reference may be had the Nye Patent No. 3,049,315. Attached to the outer end of the takeup block 7 is an axially outwardly and downwardly sloping guide or horn 11 which supports the loops L as they are advanced by the loop positioning conveyor 3 in a manner to be subsequently explained.

The loop positioning conveyor 3 may be an endless belt or chain having an upwardly sloping section 12 supported by rollers 14, 15 below a substantial portion of the length of the guide 11 and a horizontal section 16 which is a continuation of the upwardly sloping section 12, extending from the roller 15 around an end roller 17 beyond the outer end of the guide 11 by a distance sufiicient to permit depositing thereon of at least a few of the loops L. Suitable supports 18, 19 may be provided for rotatably mounting the rollers 14, 15, 17, and additional rollers may be included as required to support the conveyor 3.

As the free-hanging loops L are axially advanced along the guide 11 into the path of the upwardly sloping conveyor section 12, outwardly projecting lugs 20 on the conveyor 3 positively engage the lower portions 21 of the loops and axially advance such lower loop portions relative to the upper loop portions 22 in accordance with the rate of axial movement of the conveyor 3 as compared to the feed-out rate of the loop forming device 2. A variable speed drive 23 for the conveyor 3 permits any desired spacing to be established between the loops L as illustratively shown in the drawing.

During axial advancement of the lower loop portions 21 by the upwardly sloping conveyor section 12, the lower loop portions are lifted upwardly which causes the upper portions 22 of the loops to lag further behind the lower loop portions, thereby causing a rapid backward swinging of the loops about the lugs 20 as they are pulled along the guide 11. Accordingly, the loops are approximately horizontal with the following loops substantially underlying the preceding loops in the series by the time the upper loop portions reach the outer end of the guide 11, and, moreover, the upper loop portions are individually supported in spaced apart relation by the guide 11 along its entire length to insure proper positioning of the loops on the horizontal conveyor section 16 in underlying relation to previously deposited loops without snarling or tangling of the loops. Instead of the lugs 20 on the conveyor 3, a magnetic belt or other such conveying device which will establish the desired positive spacing between the loops may be used.

The loops L thus deposited on the horizontal section 16 of the conveyor 3 may be transferred to the main conveyor 4 and transported through any desired material processing equipment schematically illustrated at for heat treating, coating, cleaning, plating or heating the material prior to hot working or the like. The main conveyor 4 which may be of the chain, roller, belt or walking beam type is desirably driven by its own variable speed drive 24 to permit changing of the relative positions of the loops as they pass from a loop positioning conveyor 4 3 to the main conveyor 4 as may be necessitated by the particular material processing to be carried out.

In any event, because the loops are deposited on the conveyors 3, 4 with the preceding loops overlying the following loops in the series, the loops may be readily payed off from the main conveyor 4 at the discharge end 25 for further processing or handling by directing the rod-like material W vertically upwardly around the sheave 26 of the material take-up device 6. The sheave 26 may be supported on a fixed stand at the end of the conveyor 4, but is preferably supported by a carriage 27 mounted on tracks 28 or the like as shown for movement above the conveyor 4 to permit the sheave 26 to be maintained in proper overlying relation with the outermost loop even when the material is being payed off at a rate faster or slower than the axial advance of the main conveyor 4. A rod 29 extending from the carriage 27 may be attached to a rack and pinion drive, hydraulic cylinder, or other such drive mechanism for effecting movement of the carriage in the desired direction, which movement may be controlled by an electric switch, photoelectric cell, etc. A guide cone 30 having a plurality of downwardly extending fingers or rods 31 may be suspended from the carriage 27 for straightening of the wire loops without tangling or snarling of the rod-like material prior to passing around the sheave 26.

From the above discussion, it can now be seen that the method and apparatus of the present invention provide a simple and unique means by which loops of rod-like material may be deposited on a conveyor in the desired spaced relation with the preceding loops overlying the following loops without snarling or tangling for ease of handling of the loops and subsequent continuous withdrawal for further processing or handling.

Other modes of applying the principle of the invention may be employed, change being made as regards the details described, provided the features stated in any of the following claims, or the equivalent of such, be employed.

We therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as our invention:

'1. In apparatus for handling rod-like material, the combination of means adapted to slidably support in freehanging substantially vertical position, by the upper portions thereof, a series of consecutive loops of such material, means adapted to positively engage the lower portion of such successive individual free-hanging loops and swing the latter forwardly into approximately horizontal position, and conveyor means adapted to receive such horizontally positioned loops from said support means in underlying relation to previously deposited loops.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said loop engaging means inclines upwardly into the path of such freehanging loops for lifting the lower loop portions during axial advancement of such lower loop portions toward said conveyor means to facilitate such swinging of such loops into approximate horizontal position as aforesaid.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said support means comprises guide members inclining downwardly toward said conveyor means.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said loop engaging means comprises a plurality of outwardly projecting lugs on an upwardly inclined portion of said conveyor means.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising means for controlling the rate of engagement of successive lower loop portions by said loop engaging means for controlling the spacing between such lower loop portions.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising means for lifting such material in a substantially vertical direction from the discharge end of said conveyor means, and vertically upwardly converging guide means for straightening successive loops without tangling as the latter are thus lifted.

7. The apparatus of claim 31 wherein said conveyor means comprises a plurality of conveyors in tandem each having separate drive means, whereby said plural conveyors may be driven at different speeds to permit changing of the relative positions of such deposited loops as they pass from one conveyor to another.

'8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said support means is adapted to support each upper loop portion individually during such swinging of such loops into approximate horizontal position to preclude snarling and tangling of such loops.

9. In apparatus for handling rod-like material wherein such material in the form of a series of successive loops is conveyed in a generally horizontal direction with the foremost loop overlying the succeeding loop in the series, the combination of means for lifting such material in a substantially vertical direction from the discharge end of a conveyor, and vertically upwardly converging guide means for straightening successive loops without tangling as the latter are thus lifted.

10. A method of handling loops of rod-like material comprising the steps of slidably supporting a series of consecutive loops of such material in free-hanging, substantially vertical position by the upper portion thereof, positively engaging the lower portion of successive individual free-hanging loops and swinging the latter forwardly into approximately horizontal position and depositing such horizontally positioned loops on a conveyor in underlying relation to previously deposited loops.

11. The method of claim wherein the lower loop portions are lifted upwardly to facilitate swinging of such loops into approximately horizontal position as aforesaid.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the upper portions of such loops are moved downwardly during lifting of such lower loop portions to facilitate swinging of such loops into approximately horizontal position.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein such loops are transferred from one conveyor to another which conveyors may be traveling at different speeds for changing the relative positions of such loops as they pass from one conveyor to another.

14. The method of claim 10 further comprising the steps of vertically lifting the material from the discharge end of such conveyor, and straightening successive loops without tangling as the latter are thus lifted.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,056,433 10/1962 Haugwitz 2 CHARLES W. LANHAM, Primary Examiner. LOWELL A. LARSON, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 266-3 

